These Fossils Were Supposed To Be Impossible

Hidden in rocks once thought too old to contain complex life we may have found the animal kingdom’s oldest known predator.

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Produced by Complexly for PBS Digital Studios

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[addman]

in 2004, she saw on television a program featuring Roger Mason in the quarry talking about the find, and contacted him. This put in motion events that culminated in Tina’s contribution being recognized at the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the Charnia discovery, complete with her cutting a fossil cake with Roger.

[panqueque]

"Predation hadn't been invented yet"
That's insane to think about

[M-A-Khaki]

I'm doing a PhD related to the evolution of non-bilatarian animals and I am going to discuss this paper in our next lab meeting. Thanks Eons for leading me to it!

[prezhenz]

Somehow when she started to say they found something familiar, I knew it would be the Cnidarians. They’re literally so “simple” that people assume they are basal species but to have such a defined body plan that is repeatable AND successful, shows how derived it probably is. That and they survived basically every major extinction event we know about

[andrespico]

The Ediacaran Weirdo Support Group motto: "With fronds like these, who needs anemones?"

[alienenthusiast]

I hope Tina gets a fossil named after her. Sad that she got overshadowed.

[furby]

Roger was a 16 year old who was rock climbing with his friends when he stumbled upon a Charnia. Tina was a 15 year old who also just so happened to stumble upon a Charnia fossil, but a year earlier. Really sad that a 16 year old boy found one while playing with his friends and it revolutionized our understanding of the Ediacran period as a whole, having the species named after him. Yet when Tina finds one as a teenager she’s dismissed and told that her discovery is impossible.

[holliegould]

"...because of its immense age! -the fossils, not attenborough." i love this channel so much

[reuireuiop]

The Chronicles of Charnia.
So exciting, I never miss an episode

[primarytrainer]

it would be so cool if regular plants were just a polyp phase and then had free floating predatory stages that just ride on the wind eating things

[danbrooks]

Can we all take a moment to scream into the void for poor Tina?

[erictaylor]

"Silly girl. That just isn't possible."
I wonder how many important discoveries were delayed or lost completely because of these words.

[MotoHikes]

I am from Charnwood Forest, and have actually released a video today that talks about it a bit! I have one of those rocky outcrops that the fossil was found in in the woods behind my house, and plan to do a video about Charnia masoni in future!

[tyler]

It would be so cool if in the future you guys edit together a super long video of all your videos in historically chronological order. That would be so much detail it would be like taking a ton of classes.

[oliviapilson]

Always fascinating to me how biologists assume when they don’t have visible evidence that it couldn’t have been possible while astronomers and physicists usually rely on the opposite (ex the assumption that life on exo-planets is probable)

[sarahdelury]

This is now my favorite episode of Eons! Thank you, so much, for centering Tina in the discovery of Charnia. Her discovery, & than my discovery of her, & Charnia, helped launch my love of all thing Ediacrian. And the new info shared in this video is awesome! THANK YOU!

[euchiron]

This is fascinating stuff! I haven't heard too much about what predated the Cambrian Explosion. Seeing what might be an ancestor of jellyfish and anemones shows what meant success back then

[dycorty]

This is my favorite period in earth's history!! Thank you so much for doing a video on it, I've always thought that the Ediacaran creatures were just...so weird and wonderful, and I always tell others about it when i have the chance!!

[brianlovesart]

A little over a year ago I discovered this channel and I am so glad I did. In addition to reigniting my childhood love of paleontology, it has been a refuge from my anxiety and a place to go when feeling down. A very gracious thank you to everyone who makes Eons what it is! Especially Kallie, you’ll always be my favourite host. Have a nice day, everyone!

[WilliamStoneContentZone]

I like how she keeps calling them weirdos, one of my favorite words